


The Trial of Barry Allen

by artemis_west



Category: The Flash (TV 2014), westallen
Genre: Angst, F/M, lol, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2018-11-08 18:41:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11087637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artemis_west/pseuds/artemis_west
Summary: Barry is put on trial for murder. And he can't even remember if he's guilty or not.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this was inspired by a scene in the Season 1 finale, when Barry first travels through time to go save his mother. If you guys remember, he sees a bunch of stuff in the Speed Force- possible versions of the future, easter eggs, visions of himself. One of the things he sees is a vision of himself locked up in Iron Heights. They've never addressed that (yet) on the show and I'm literally always obsessing over it because WHAT? So this idea comes from that. I chose to set it sometime during the upcoming season (season 4) with Devoe (The Thinker) as the villain. There might be a part 2, so stay tuned!

Bartholomew Henry Allen was lead into the courtroom, hands cuffed behind his back. His head hung low, his hair unkempt and messy, his face shadowed and stubbly. He was wearing a blue Iron Heights prison uniform.

  
At first, he didn’t look at the crowd that had gathered for his public trial. He didn’t want to see who had showed up to watch him be humiliated.  
But then he felt her eyes on him.

  
He knew it was her even before he looked up, because his skin tingled and the hairs on the back of his neck rose. And he heard her voice whisper desperately, “Barry.”  
When he met her eyes, Iris West-Allen’s gaze was unwavering. It was loyal and devoted, strong and dedicated. It held belief. In him. Her eyes were determined and fierce, and they shouted, I love you, I love you, I love you.

  
Her eyes were shining with tears, but only one slid down her cheek before Barry looked away. He couldn’t look at her. He didn’t want her here. He’d told Joe over and over again that he wanted Iris nowhere near the trial. Barry’s jaw clenched as the bailiff led him to his seat in front of the judge’s stand. He looked up again, searching for Joe. Joe sat almost directly behind him in the first row, and Barry shot him an accusing look.

  
“Joe, I told you - “ he whispered sharply, but Joe cut him off.

  
“Barry, you and I both know there was no way she was gonna stay away. I tried, son. She wouldn’t listen.”

  
Barry shook his head, refusing to look back in Iris’s direction, even when he could still feel her eyes on him. It was too painful. Too much.

  
And yet he yearned for it.

  
He hated that she was here to witness this, but selfishly, he wanted her here, if only so he could focus on something other than what the prosecutor would say about him. And then, when he thought about the crime he was accused of, the things the prosecution would say about him, he grit his teeth, and he wished he could speed Iris out of here and far away from all this.

  
He wouldn’t run away from the courtroom, even though he could. He had to stand trial. He had to take responsibility. But he wished Joe or Wally had enough influence to keep Iris out of here. He didn’t want her to see him like this.

  
Wally was sitting next to Joe, his face on the edge of breaking. Barry could see he was trying to be strong. Wally leaned forward and said, “Barry, whatever happens - I’m with you.”

  
Barry nodded. “I know.”

  
Cisco and Julian were next to Wally, and Cisco gave Barry a nod and a small, encouraging smile. Julian nodded to him solemnly. Barry looked at his family one more time, all but one, before he turned in his seat and resolutely faced the judge’s stand. The bailiff at least took his handcuffs off, and he rubbed his wrists where the metal had dug into his skin, sitting up straight in his chair. He took a deep breath. The assembled jury didn’t look too bad, but he really had no idea how this thing would go. He had no idea what they would decide, how this would end.

  
The crime he was accused of was murder.

  
And the truth was, Barry wasn’t entirely sure he didn’t do it. He couldn’t remember.

  
Clifford Devoe, otherwise known as The Thinker, had put him under mind control. Barry had been helpless, a puppet to Devoe, subject to his whims. All Barry really knew was that one moment he’d been in a battle with Devoe, and the next he’d been standing over a dead body with blood on his hands. He had no idea how he got there, because he wasn’t wearing his Flash suit, and the last he remembered he’d been fighting Devoe. So when the cops showed up, Barry had no excuse to give them. No alibi. No defense. They arrested him and put him on trial for murder. He’d been sitting in Iron Heights for three days, waiting. Just waiting, and thinking. Trying to remember.

  
But he really couldn’t.

  
Everyone he loved swore it wasn’t him, that it was Devoe. The Thinker had put him under mind control and it wasn’t Barry’s fault. But Barry wasn’t sure he agreed with them. Even if he’d been under Devoe’s control, Barry had still been the one to kill the innocent victim. His hands had murdered someone. He could never let go of that.  
Devoe had disappeared after his last fight with the Flash, before he left Barry standing over the dead body. Cisco and the others had been searching for him, but they’d had no luck so far. All the evidence only pointed towards Barry. There was nothing to save him, nothing to prove him innocent.

  
Barry knew, deep down, that he was guilty. He knew they would sentence him to a long life in prison.

  
And Iris was going to watch it happen.

  
He grit his teeth and shut his eyes, hanging his head in his hands. He didn’t want her here. He wished she wasn’t here. He was a little bit angry at her for coming, even. He hadn’t really spoken to her since he’d been arrested, too ashamed and upset to see her, even if Iris promised Barry she believed he didn’t do it. But he could barely look at her. The guilt was too heavy, the shame too much to bear. So he’d asked Joe and Wally to keep her away, from Iron Heights and from the trial.

  
The judge entered the room, and everyone stood from their seats. Cecile was representing Barry as his attorney, and she gave him a confident nod as they sat back down. Barry didn’t have the heart to smile back at her.

  
He closed his eyes and didn’t listen while the trial went on. Instead, he conjured up his happiest memories of Iris. Even if he wished she weren’t here, she was still his anchor, the thing that kept him grounded.

  
He only opened his eyes again when the jury shuffled out of the room to make their decision.

  
Cecile was telling him something, but Barry wasn’t listening. He kept his eyes straight ahead. He’d felt Iris’s gaze on him the entire time, and the weight of it crushed him. He was dying inside, slowly and painfully.

  
Someone squeezed his shoulder in support from behind, probably Joe. Barry hung his head. He heard people in the courtroom whispering to each other, indistinct chatter. Did they all think he was guilty? He knew his family supported him, but what did the rest of Central City think? What did they believe?

  
It didn’t matter. He was going to prison anyway.

  
When the jury came back into the room, Barry knew what their decision was before they delivered the verdict.

  
“We find the defendant . . .” they said, and the room was heavy with tension. “Guilty on all charges.”

  
Then the courtroom erupted into chaos. Barry was forcefully dragged up from his seat, his hands yanked behind his back and cuffed again. He heard Joe and Wally and Cisco shouting. Joe’s voice, the loudest: “We’re gonna get you out of there, Barry! They cannot keep you in there forever! You didn’t do this!”

  
And as he was being lead from the room, he felt her.

  
She rushed up to him and stopped the bailiff from taking him away, demanding five minutes with Barry. Barry couldn’t look at her. He kept his eyes on the floor, his posture stiff. Iris put her hand on his chin, so close to him. He could smell her, feel her. He hadn’t touched her or kissed her or felt her since he’d been arrested. He would never get to do it again once they put him in Iron Heights for good.

  
“Barry,” she choked out, her voice a plea. “Barry, look at me.”

  
When he finally met her eyes, they were both crying.

  
“Barry,” she whispered, and she brushed her lips to his, wrapping her arms around him. His hands strained against his cuffs, desperate to hold her. “I love you. I know you did not do this. I will always, always love you. And I am gonna get you out of there. Okay? I promise. I’ll wait for you. However long it takes, whatever I have to do, I will not let them keep you in Iron Heights.”

  
He choked on his words. Barry’s breath left him in a rush, tears falling down his cheeks. Iris kissed him again before the bailiff dragged him away from her and out of the courtroom.

  
“Goodbye, Iris,” Barry whispered.

  
He closed his eyes and let memories of her wash over him until he was shoved into a cell at Iron Heights.


	2. Chapter 2

“Allen,” the guard barked, startling Barry from half-sleep. “You got a visitor.”

Barry sighed. He didn’t want any visitors. He didn’t want to see the face of anyone he knew and loved. He wished they would all just leave him alone. There was nothing anyone could do for him in here, and he was resigned to his fate. He didn’t want to see his loved ones suffering on his behalf. But he shuffled slowly out of bed and through the door. The guard led him to the visitor chambers, where a wall of thick glass separated the inmates and their visitors. Barry almost laughed when he saw who had come to see him. It was Jay Garrick. The man with the face of his father. Barry thought of all the times he’d come to visit Henry Allen here. Back then, their positions had been reversed: Barry had been the one on the other side of the glass, and Henry had been in the prison jumpsuit. Of course, Barry knew Jay wasn’t his father. Just his doppelganger. It was still sort of ironic.

Jay smirked when he saw Barry, as if they were thinking the same thing. But Barry’s smile disappeared when he sat down and picked up the phone. Jay picked up on his end. Barry wasn’t quite sure what to say. Jay hadn’t been present at the court proceedings, but that was because he’d been trying to track down Devoe. Barry wanted to tell him to stop. It was no use. He would be in here for the rest of his life, and at this point, he thought he deserved it. He had killed someone. It didn’t matter if Devoe had been controlling him. Barry’s hands had carried out the act. His DNA was all over the crime scene. Not Devoe’s.

“How you doin’, kid?” Jay finally asked, and Barry shrugged.

“Never better,” he said flatly, and Jay’s smile was small and sad. “Listen, we all know you didn’t do this. We’re all working on a way to get you out of here.”

Barry sighed. “Don’t waste your time.”

Jay’s face hardened, and he reminded Barry so much of Henry that for a second it almost hurt. “Barry. You don’t belong in here. Don’t you realize that?”

“What does it matter? Even if Devoe was mind-controlling me, I’m still partially responsible. I still used the weapon on him. He’s still dead because of me. I can’t ignore that.”

“No one blames you, kid.”

“Maybe they should.”

Jay sighed and shook his head, sorrow filling his eyes. Barry didn’t want to see it. He turned away, averting his gaze. “What are you doing here, Jay?” He wanted to go back to his cell. To rest. To sleep as much as he could, to dream of Iris. It was his only solace in here to think of her, to recall the happy memories with her.

“I came to tell you not to give up hope,” Jay said softly. “But it looks to me like you already have.”

* * *

 

His next visitor was Joe. He expected this, which was why he wasn’t as angry. He met Joe behind the glass with a nod and picked up the phone. Joe looked haggard and haunted, and pain and guilt flared in Barry’s chest.

“Barry,” Joe choked out when they both picked up their phones. “Son. The sight of you in here . . . I can’t stand it, Barry. It’s not right.”

Barry didn’t speak. He let Joe talk.

“I got Captain Singh and the whole precinct looking for Devoe. Singh is on your side. Everyone who knows you knows you couldn’t have done this, and when they realized Devoe was a meta with mind-powers, they all went on the hunt for him. We are not gonna let him get away with this, Barry. I promise.”

Barry didn’t have the heart to deny him. So he said, “Okay, Joe.”

“I love you, Barry. I’m gonna get you out of here, even if I have to do it by myself. You hear me?” Barry nodded. Joe put his hand up against the glass, just like Henry Allen used to do. Barry’s heart lurched in his chest. He put his hand up on the other side, lining it up with Joe’s. Tears sprung to his eyes. He cleared his throat and took his hand away.

“How’s Wally?” he asked, more out of politeness than anything else. He didn’t want to know how Wally was doing. He didn’t want to know how anyone he loved was doing, because he knew they were all suffering, and there was nothing he could do about it.

“He’s . . . trying to adjust,” Joe said, running a tired hand over his face. “He’s been running all over the city, looking for Devoe. He goes out every morning and comes back every night.”

“Tell him to stop,” Barry said, his voice rough. “He shouldn’t be doing that. There’s no point. And he shouldn’t focus on trying to save me when there’s still a whole city that needs protecting.”

“Barry, he wants to help you. He’s angry at himself because he somehow thinks it’s his fault you’re in here.” “There was nothing he could’ve done against Devoe,” Barry shook his head.

“Tell him to stop.” Joe sighed. There was heavy, painful silence for a few seconds.

“None of us are gonna stop until you’re out of here, Barry. I hope you realize that.” He looked at Barry, and then he said, “She wants to visit you.”

Everything in Barry stiffened. His heart broke in half. “No,” he said harshly. “Keep her away. I don’t want her to see me like this.” Joe opened his mouth to say something else, but Barry hung up his phone and let the guard lead him back to his cell.

* * *

 

The next day, he got a different visitor. This time, to Barry’s surprise, it was Julian Albert. Out of all his friends and loved ones, Julian was the least painful to see. Barry was sort of glad he’d come to visit, in that regard.

“Hey,” he said when he picked up the phone, and Julian gave him a smile.

“Nice to see you, mate. How are you holding up in here?”

“It’s not that bad.” And it wasn’t, not really. He hadn’t had any trouble with any of the other inmates so far, but they gave him looks, and he was sort of waiting for something to happen. Other than that, things were fine. He’d established a routine, and it had become familiar now. He was getting used to his life in Iron Heights.

“I came to tell you I’ve been going over the crime scene in my spare time,” Julian said, and Barry’s shoulders slumped. He’d hoped Julian had come just to say hello out of courtesy, not because he wanted to convince Barry of his innocence like everyone else. Barry was so tired of everyone telling him he didn’t belong in here. He did.

“Look, man, I appreciate it,” Barry said, running a hand through his messy hair. “But don’t waste your time on me. Please. Focus on your job.”

“I’m a CSI. Analyzing crime scenes is my job. And I’m also a meta-human specialist, need I remind you. The Thinker is a meta-human. Your case falls within the scope of my job.”

“There wasn’t any evidence of Devoe at the crime scene,” Barry reminded him, his voice low, and Julian sighed.

“I know, mate. But I know it wasn’t you. We all know it wasn’t you. I’m just doing my part to prove that.”

* * *

 

Cisco came to visit him, and Wally, and Joe again. Wally was the most painful. The look in his eyes was so hard to bear. He swore to Barry that he would not let Devoe get away, and every promise he made was another anvil of guilt pressing down on Barry’s chest. Every update Joe or Cisco gave him about the hunt for The Thinker made Barry feel more tired as the weight of his shame for causing all this dragged him down to the floor.

Eventually, the visits became less frequent. She didn’t come, and Barry was glad. He didn’t want her here. She didn’t deserve to see him like this.

On the first day of his fourth week in Iron Heights, the guard informed Barry that he had a visitor. Barry assumed it would be Joe or maybe Jay again.

He was wrong.

When he walked out into the visitor chambers, she was there. It was her he saw on the other side of the glass, her beautiful brown eyes, her face, so strong and fierce. Barry’s heart flew up into his throat. His breath caught.

It had been almost a month since he’d seen her except in his dreams. He remembered the last time they’d kissed, in the courthouse as he was being pulled away.

When he sat down, the first thing Iris did was put her hand on the glass, her face crumpling. Barry’s heart crumbled to dust. He put his hand on the glass to meet hers and pressed his fingers as hard as he could against it. He felt tears stinging his eyes, and he let them fall. Iris picked up the phone. Barry picked up his. He didn’t want to be the first to speak. He didn’t know what to say to her.

“My dad thinks I’m at work,” she finally whispered. The only reason why she was here. Joe had been keeping his promise to keep her away, but Barry had always known, deep down, that if Iris wanted to see him, she would do it. Nothing would stand in her way.

“I - “ Barry choked out, but he couldn’t form the words. Iris sniffled and took her hand off the glass. She sat up straighter in her chair, her gaze determined. It kept Barry anchored. It kept him balanced.

“Barry. I know you told my dad to keep me away. I know you don’t want me to see you like this. But that’s not fair. I am your wife, Barry. Your partner. For better or worse, remember? This is worse, and I’m here. I will always be here. That’s the promise we made to each other.”

Barry nodded, blinking his tears away. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Just promise me you’ll stop hating yourself for this. And believe me when I tell you that we are going to get you out of here. I am going to get you out of here.”

He nodded. It was all he could do.

“Iris, Devoe is dangerous,” he whispered. “I don’t want you - ”

“I can protect myself.”

“Not against this.” Barry shook his head. “You don’t know what it was like . . . .” He shivered at the memory and closed his eyes, trying to push it away.

“Cisco is working on a way to stop him.” Iris’s eyes shone, and she pressed her hand back up against the glass. “I love you, Barry. We’ll get you out of here soon. And then . . .”

“Then?” Barry whispered, holding onto that word, that promise, that impossible hope.

Iris smiled, beautiful and radiant and full of love. “Then we’re going to go on the honeymoon we never had.”

Barry laughed, and it felt freeing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There might be a 3rd chapter, so stay tuned for that!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By popular demand! Here's the third chapter you've all been waiting for. The fourth will be the final chapter, so get ready for the end!

During his second month at Iron Heights, Cisco came to Barry with news.

“I think I finally have something,” he said.

At first, Barry didn’t dare to hope. But then he thought of Iris. She had come to visit him several more times since the first, just to talk to him, to tell him about her day. It was both less and more painful to see her face each time. They all swore to him they were working on a way to get him out, but deep down, despite his promises to Iris, Barry had resigned himself to a life in Iron Heights. He smiled and he laughed for Iris when she came to see him, but it was painted on. It was only to make her happy.

“What is it?” Barry asked Cisco, scratching his chin. He had stopped shaving as much and let some of his facial hair grow in, and now he had a face full of scruff.

“I call it the cerebral inhibitor,” Cisco said, a proud, excited smile on his face. Barry found himself smiling back. “It’s a machine designed to inhibit the functions of Devoe’s brain and limit his powers, if he gets close enough to it. And we’ve been getting closer to him, Barry. I can feel it.”

Barry just nodded. He couldn’t say anything. It sounded too good to be true.

Cisco’s smile faltered. “You can’t tell me you don’t care about this.”

“I do,” Barry said. “It’s good news, Cisco. Great news.” He shrugged, hating the wounded look on Cisco’s face. “But I just don’t want you guys to get your hopes up and then have them be destroyed.”

“How can you - ” Cisco stopped and shook his head. “I just . . .”

“I know,” Barry said. “I’m sorry.” He knew he was making it harder on his friends and family, knew he was disappointing them by not showing hope, but it was for all of their sakes. They just didn’t see that.

* * *

 

"People in the city are starting to say The Flash has disappeared, and that he might never come back," Wally said, his face downtrodden, tears shining in his eyes. "They have me, but they wonder where you are. Jay doesn't really make appearances, so they don't know he's here. They need you, Barry. We all need you."

Wally wiped his nose on his sleeve. "I don't know how to be enough for them. For everyone."

"You're protecting Central City as well as I ever could," Barry promised him, wishing he could give strength to Wally. "I'm proud of you, Wally. Central City needs  _you._ "

"They need you, too," Wally said. "Iris says she's really, really close to finding Devoe. She's been going out, investigating, doing research. She didn't want me to tell you, but you need to know."

A part of Barry had known, deep down, that Iris was finding her own ways to help. She had promised him she would, and he'd never expected her to fall short on that promise. It pained him to know she was out there at the mercy of Devoe, but there was nothing he could do about it. It was something they never discussed when she came to visit him. Something she never brought up, and something he never acknowledged. But it hung between them, swinging like a heavy pendulum. 

"Does Joe know?" Barry asked. Wally shook his head. 

"He's distracted," he said. "Trying to find Devoe, and there's been a lot more crime since you got put in here - " Wally stopped and sniffled, his face crumpling. "It's my fault. I'm not doing enough. Me and Cisco, we try to do what we can, but there's not - "

"Wally," Barry said, placing his hand on the glass between them. "Stop. You're protecting this city, okay? You're doing a good job. The city needs you, and I need you. I'm proud of you." He said it again. He would say it however many times he needed to say it, until Wally stopped looking so crushed and defeated. 

Wally nodded. He took in a shaky breath. "It won't be much longer, Barry," he whispered. "We're getting close. We're gonna get you out of here."

"And then we can go back to running the streets together," Barry said, offering a smile. Wally smiled back. 

"Yeah," he said. "The Flash and Kid Flash, crime-fighting duo. Kicking ass and taking names."

Barry laughed. Wally's smile grew stronger, his eyes a little brighter. 

"Don't give up, Barry," he said. "We haven't given up on you. Don't give up on us."

Barry nodded. He would try.

It was all he could do.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm officially the worst because this has taken forever bc i've gotten way too distracted with other things and i lost my mojo for this fic a hell of a long time ago but i didn't want to abandon it. so i kinda just whatever'ed this last chapter. i apologize for that but i hope you guys like it anyway, sorry it took so long i'm the WORST with chapter fics
> 
> also i just realized this fic doesn't really work anymore because julian is gone and i left caitlyn out because at the time i started writing this she was still fully killer frost and i thought she wouldn't be on team flash anymore but OH WELL

Six months. 

Six months Barry had been in Iron Heights. Six months his family had been fighting for him. Six months he’d been away from his wife. 

Six months he’d been in Iron Heights, and six months he’d had to adjust to his new life. Now, he was quite good at convincing his visitors that he believed in them. Every time they came to tell him they were getting closer and closer to Devoe, Barry was getting better at smiling, at showing hope, at giving them promises to assuage them. 

Cisco, Wally, Joe, Iris. They swore they were getting closer every day. They’d almost had Devoe in their grasp a handful of times before he’d slipped away from them, outsmarting them. Every time he got away, Barry’s family came back to visit him with renewed hope, with unfailing determination. They would get Devoe, they said. They would defeat him and force him to confess, and they would get Barry out of Iron Heights. 

Barry’s days passed in a nondescript blur. There was a pattern, a routine at Iron Heights, and he had long since settled into it. He was beginning to think it wasn’t so bad. 

Wally had asked him once why he didn’t just break out. He still had his powers, after all, and he could easily phase through the walls and run away from the prison before they could even know he was gone. But Barry always told him no. He still didn’t remember all the details of what had happened, what Devoe had made him do, and it was safer for him to stay in Iron Heights. It was better if he was locked up. He deserved to be here. 

Six months of his life passed by. Barry didn’t keep up much with news from the outside; he only knew what his family came to tell him. There was a larger police presence in the streets since Barry’s arrest and The Flash’s absence. Joe was swamped with work, he and Captain Singh working tirelessly to keep a handle on the rising crime levels in Central City. Wally and Cisco were on constant patrol, and Iris never stopped investigating, never stopped digging, never stopped trying to uncover the truth. Julian did his part to help. Jay had started running the streets at night, searching all over for Devoe. 

The only person who hadn’t visited Barry at all was Harry Wells. Since Barry’s arrest, he’d sequestered himself in STAR Labs, working day and night to find ways to capture Devoe. Even Jessie had taken a break from protecting Earth-3 to help Barry’s cause. Everyone Barry knew and loved was working to get him free, and he couldn’t stand it. The guilt was too much. 

During the fourth month of Barry’s incarceration, even Oliver Queen came to visit, offering his help. 

“I hate seeing you like this, Barry,” Oliver said. “This isn’t you. You aren’t supposed to be here.”

“I don’t remember anything that happened, Ollie,” Barry said softly. “How do I know I didn’t do it?” He didn’t know. He would never know.

“Barry, you were under his control. He was in your mind. He did this. Not you.” Oliver fixed him with a beseeching stare through the glass. “I know you, Barry. I can see you beating yourself up over this because everyone’s spending their time trying to get you free. If you don’t stop, you will never be free of the burden. And it’s not your burden to carry. Don’t do this to yourself.”

Barry couldn’t reply. He didn’t know how. 

After Oliver’s visit, Felicity began making the trek from Starling City to Iron Heights, more than she should have. At first, she offered reassurances like the rest of them, but when she noticed the look on Barry’s face, she just talked. She babbled on and on about what was happening in Starling City, what Team Arrow was up to, and it was comforting. Barry enjoyed her visits more than the others. It was nice to be distracted, nice to have Felicity’s company. 

He wished he could feel that way about Iris’s visits, and guilt ate at him even more when he didn’t. When Iris visited, she talked, but there was always a look in her eyes, always an expression on her face that hurt Barry to look at. They talked about mundane things because it was what Barry needed, but Iris always looked like she wanted to talk about the investigations she’d been doing, about her research on Devoe. She looked like she wanted to reach through the glass and shake Barry for putting on a false front. And Barry knew that she knew that’s what he was doing. She could see through him so easily. He’d never been able to wear a mask around her.

One day, she came to him with a slump in her shoulders. 

“We almost had him, Barry,” she whispered. “He was  _ this  _ close. We thought we found his hiding space . . .” Iris shook her head, attempting to straighten her posture and put on a smile. “Don’t lose hope just yet. If we got this close, that means we can do it again. We just have to have faith.”

Barry smiled for her because he had to, because it was what she needed. 

But there was tension between them now - tension because Iris knew that Barry was faking it, and Barry knew that she knew, but he wouldn’t stop. 

He would never stop smiling for her, never stop trying to make her happy. 

* * *

 

One day, the same as any other day,  _ everyone  _ was there to see him. 

Barry was sure he wasn’t allowed this many visitors at a time. And yet there they all stood on the other side of the glass - all three of the Wests, Cisco, Julian, Jay, and Harry. Barry paused when he saw them, surprise making him go still. 

“What’s this?” he asked when he picked up the phone. Iris was the one to sit down and pick up the receiving end. She sat tall, her shoulders back, chin raised. She was beautiful. Barry wished he could touch her. They’d both gone too long without each other. 

“Barry,” Iris said, her voice strong and sure. “You’re coming home.”

* * *

 

In the end, it was Cisco and Harry who did it. Everyone helped, in their own way, but what had been dubbed the Cerebral Inhibitor was born from the mind of Cisco Ramon and Harry Wells. It was a device that did exactly what it was named for - it inhibited The Thinker’s cerebral cortex and limited his powers, and allowed Team Flash to control  _ him.  _ Iris, with the help of most of the Central City police force and the satellite capabilities of STAR Labs, had finally found Devoe’s hideout. They’d stormed the castle, Cisco in the lead, Cerebral Inhibitor in hand. Devoe and The Mechanic, his wife, were caught. 

It had taken months. Months of lost hope, of frustration, of nearly giving up and fighting harder. 

But Iris had promised Barry they would get him out of Iron Heights. 

And they did.

On a bright, sunny afternoon, Barry Allen was released from Iron Heights prison, cleared of all charges. 

His wife waited for him outside the gate. When they opened and Barry stepped out, Iris ran forward and took a running leap into his arms. Barry caught her and spun her around, tears stinging his eyes. It felt like a dream to hold her again, to touch her again, to kiss her. They kissed for a long time, over and over again, relishing in it. Iris’s tears fell down her cheeks and on Barry’s lips, but she smiled against his mouth. 

“See?” Iris whispered, running her hands through Barry’s hair. She laughed tearfully. “I promised.”

Barry smiled and caressed her cheek with his thumb, leaning in to kiss her again. 

“You did,” he said. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY AGAIN


End file.
